Johannesknabe

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Madonna del Cardellino. On the left the Johannesknabe in a sheepskin and a goldfinch, on the right the Jesusknabe, oil painting by Raphael (1506)

The boy John is the representation of John the Baptist as a boy who accompanies the baby Jesus . The portrayal of the two boys as children of about the same age follows the pericope in Luke's Gospel ( Lk 1.39  EU ), which describes the visit of the pregnant Mary to her cousin Elizabeth to help her with the birth of her child ( Visitation of the Virgin ).

The attribute of the boy John in Christian iconography is often the staff of the cross , which refers to his martyrdom . Images of the Madonna and images of the holy family with the baby Jesus and the boy John are a type of representation that probably originated in Italy and dates back to the Gothic period.